Clutch for power winches



Oct. 9, 1951 E. B. YoNcosKl CLUTCH FOR POWER WINCHES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 28, 1947 INVENTOR.

BY m

Edward B. Yoncosk/ E vi w f fbm Oct. 9, 1951 E. B. YONCOSKI CLUTCH FOR POWER WINCHES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 28, 1947 Edward B. Yoncoski INVENTOR.

(Wally 3% 1951 E. B. YONCOSKI 2,570,902

CLUTCH FOR POWER WINCHES Filed Nov. 28, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 7//\//// 7/ Wm vm .3 R m m M w m 5 m 9% I W NQ\ M- W Patented Oct. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES ATENT' OFFICE This invention relates generally to winches, more particularly to improvements and refinements in the construction of power winches of the type adapted to be mounted on a deck or floor, connected to a motor, and operated by two levers controlling a clutch connected with the reel of the winch and a brake respectively.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a winch which is particularly well adapted for use by small building contractors, farmers, and in small mines, boats, and the like.

Another important object of this invention, ancillary to the foregoing object, is to provide a winch which is adapted to be constructed in light weight and easily portable form, and in which the clutch mechanism and braking mechanism, as well as all other parts of the winch, are mounted on a single frame to facilitate transportation of the winch from one position to another, it being understood that the winch will be rigidly secured to the fioor or deck while being operated.

Still another object of this invention is to provide braking means for a winch, in which uniform movement of the brake control handle causes a non-uniform movement of the means directly applying braking pressure, thus facilitating smoother arresting of the reel of the winch when the brakes are applied.

Still another object of this invention is to pro-- vide improved means for equalizing the action of the different brake shoes used in the device.

Another object is to provide improved means for the adjustable setting of the difierent brake shoes.

And a last object to be specifically mentioned is to provide a power winch which is relatively inexpensive, completely practicable to manufacture, simple and convenient as well as safe to use, and which will give generally efficient and durable service.

With these objects definitely in view, together with other objects of a specific character and inherent in the construction of the device which will become apparent as this descrpition proceeds, this invention resides in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be de scribed in the specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a material part of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the assembled winch, the figure being taken substantially on a center line of the device.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectionalview, taken on theline 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view in elevation;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one end of the machine, the view being designed to show a construction of the brake mechanism; a

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the main portions of the means used to secure the ends of the brake band;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view illustrating further the structure shown in Figure 5 and how the same is mounted on the frame, the major portion of the figure being in side elevation;

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view, fragmentary in character, and taken on the line l'l in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of one of the clutch shoes;

Figure 9 is a group view showing the adjustable link means associated with the clutch shoe;

Figure 10 is an end view of the collar slidably associated with the drive shaft of the winchandthe clutch mechanism;

Figure 11 is an elevational view of this same collar; and,

Figure 12 is a fragmentary enlargedf detail view, taken on the line l2-l2 in Figure 2';

Similar characters of reference designate similar or identical parts and'portions throughout the specification and throughout the several views of the drawings. Referring now to the drawings in detail, this winch includes a frame having a gear case In at one end, an upright I2 at the other end and a pair of preferably hollow connecting members 14 which are terminally welded to the gear case 10 and rigidly secured to the upright I2 by suitable bushings |6 welded to the said upright and taper pins 20 inserted through these bushings and the corresponding ends of the members 14. This construction allows the easy removal of the upright l2 for purposes of assembly of the machine, as well as for repair and replacement of certain parts of the machine when required.

The gear case is provided with suitable bearings for the shafts 22, 24 and 25, the first shaft 22 having rigidly secured thereto a drive pulley 28 adapted to receive a belt for connection to the power means associated with the winch. This same shaft carries a small gear wheel 30 which is in constant mesh with a larger gear wheel 32 rigidly secured to the shaft 24. The same shaft 24 carries another smaller gear .34 which 3 is in continuous engagement with the largest gear wheel 36 mounted on the one end of the shaft 26. This shaft 26 may be considered the drive shaft of the winch and it will be understood that the gears mentioned immediately above comprise a set of reduction gears enabling the employment of an electric motor as a power means.

The other end of the drive shaft 26 is journalled, as indicated at 38 in the central upper portion of the upright I2 and has freely mounted thereon, as by roller bearings 46, the reel 42' having an end plate 44 on the end adjacent the gear box I and a drum 46 rigidl-ysecuredto the other end thereof.

A clutch lever 48 is pivoted to a bracket 56 carried on the upright I2, the lower I end of the lever 48 being bifurcated to straddle a collar 52 having a groove to receive a pair of roller bearings 54 carried by the bifurcated portion 56" of the lever. The said groove is indicated at 60 in Figure 11. It Will "be noted that the collar 52, being slidably mountedon the drive shaft '26, extends inwardly to abut the outer face of the clutch plate 62. This clutch plate 62 is a circular disc and. is rigidly mounted upon a bushing 64 which is, in turn, rigidly secured by any suitable means to the drive shaft 26. The clutch plate carries a plurality, the drawings representing four, of clutch shoes which are generally represented by the numeral 66. Each clutch shoe is comprised of an arcuate platets carrying a lining iii, a reinforcing plate 32, transverse'reinforcing ribs l4 and i6, and a shank portion 18 of strap form and recessed as at {36. The shank portion 73 of the clutch shoes is slidably associated with a plurality of V-shaped guides 82 which are bolted, as at 64 to the clutch plate 62, the guides being grooved, as at 86, to receive edge portions of the shanks 16. 'It will be noted that each of the inner sides of the guides 82 is grooved as at '86 and that four of these guides serve to slidably mount the four clutch shoes 66. A plurality of coil springs 86'are secured under tension and in pairs between the clutch shoes 66 and certain of the bolts 84, in order to bias the clutch shoes into retracted or non-operative position.

The sliding collar 52' is provided with an annular shoulder 66 on the outside thereof and this annular shoulder is received in a groove 7 :32 longitudinally disposed in a bearing member 34, which bearing member is best represented in Figure 9. The bearing 94 has an elongated curved surface which is received in the, groove 96 of a fitting 98 having a shank I60 which is threadedly received in a block I62. It will be noted that this block is provided with squared sides I64 to receive a wrench and a nut I66 is used as a lock nut. The other end of the block I02 is provided with a reduced shank I68 which is received in the recess III] of a shoe '2, while a strap spring H4 is interposed between the said other end of the block I62 and the fiat surface 6 of the shoe H2, being retained against rotation by a pin I 18 depending from the said fiat surface and received in an aperture I 26 in the fiat spring. The opposite side of the shoe II 2 is formed with an elongated curved recess I22 which receives a bearing I24, similar to the bearing 94 and having a groove I26 to receive a portion of the shank 18 within the recess Bil.

The above described construction will provide for adjustability of the links which are comprised of. the various elements numbered 94' to I24, and

it will be clear that while movement of the clutch handle 48 will force the clutch shoes 66 outwardly against the inner surface of the drum 46, this same construction will allow the different clutch shoes to seat properly upon the drum. In this connection it should be carefully noted that the collar 52 rotates with the drive shaft 26 and that the annular shoulder 96 of the collar is notched, as indicated at I28 in Figure 10, to assure rotation of the composite links described immediately above. The reel 42 is driven by the drum in, and the clutch shoes 65, driven by the guides 82 bolted on the clutch plate 62, operatively connect the clutch plate and shaft 25 with the drum, when the shoes 66 are expanded as a result of the shifting of the collar 52 by the clutch handle 48.

The braking mechanism includes a brake lever I36, pivoted as at I32 .on the upright I2 and having a conventional complement of a fingergrip-control I34, link rod I35 and pawl I36 engageable with a toothed rack -I 36 fixedon the upright I2. This'rack may be formed integral with a plate I46 which is bolted on the upright iZ and on one of the members i the frame. A guide rail I42 having lateral flanges is bolted, as at M3, to' the plate I46 and a slide -144- is mounted for vertical sliding movement on this rail, the slide having a vertical slot to receive said rail and this slot being-bridged by a bar I45 at the lower end of the slide. 'A link I46 is terminally and pivot-ally connected to a lower portion of the lever I36 and to an extending portion of the slide I 44 apertured as at I58, while the upper end of the slide is provided with a transversely bored terminal I48 which is connected, by means of the pin I56, with the reinforcedend I52 of a strap brake band I54 which encircles the drum- 46 in frictional engagement therewith and which has its other endadj-ustablysecured to a lower portion of the plate I46, by means of a bolt I56 which is secured to the other end of the brake band I 54 and which is inserted through the aperture I63 of the plate 540 and adjustably held in place-by the nut I60.

The operation of this invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the above recitation of the objectssought to be achieved by this invention. It will be clear that'all of the objects are amply attained by this invention and that the operationthereofwill en tail no special procedure. In 'recapitula'tion, it may be added that equalization of the braking action by therdifferent clutch shoes 66 is accomplished by the fiat springs I I4. The springs- H4 tend to overcome the effect of unequal wear in the clutch shoe=-l-inings 1'6 and any inaccuracy in the -manual adjustment" of the linkages.

- Many minor variations may be made in the structural details and proportionment of the-vari- 'ous parts of this invention, all within the spirit and scope thereof, and it should beunders-t'oo'd that the drawings and specification are" illustrative rather than limiting and. that the i-nvention should be considered as-lim-ited only by a proper interpretation of the-terminology used the subjo-ined claims.

Having described the invention; what is claimed as new is:

1. In a power winch including a reel freely rotatably mountedona driven shaft and having a 'druin at one end, a clutch plate having guides thereon and carried by said driven-shaft and disposed within -said drum, clutchshoesslid'ably mounted on said guides, means to force said shoes outwardly into contact with said drum comprising a collar longitudinally slidable on said shaft, an annular shoulder on said collar, bearing members having elongated curved surfaced portions and grooves to receive the shoulder, members having grooves to receive said curved surfaced portions and having threaded shanks, blocks adjustably mounted on the shanks, shoes pivotally mounted on the blocks, said last-named shoes having grooves opposite saidblocks, elongated bearings received in the last-mentioned grooves and engaging said clutch shoes and means to bias said clutch shoes into retracted positions.

2. A device according to claim 1, and wherein said clutch shoes include shank portions, and said elongated bearings having longitudinally disposed slots to engage said shank portions upon an elongated contact surface centrally of the shank portions.

3. A device according to claim 1, and including a strap spring compressed between said blocks and the shoes pivotally connected on the blocks to make the connection between said clutch shoes and said collar slightly resilient.

EDWARD B. YONCOSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

